Joint for concrete building units



Dec. 28, 1937. BUSSMANN JOINT FOR CONCRETE BUILDING UNITS Filed April14, 1957 INVENTOR )[erman 32455711617171 BY 77110144447 WV ATTORNEYSPatented 28, 1937 PATENT OFFICE 2,103,894 Jom'r ron canons-rs BUILDINGUNITS Herman Bussmann, Englewood, N. .1.

Application April 14, 1937, Serial No. 136,717

Claims.

The present invention relates to pre-fabricated concrete units employedin the construction of buildings, particularly in the walls, floors andpartitions.

5 The object of the invention is to provide such building units with acoupling member embedded in one or more of its edges adapted to beinter- I looked with and connected to a similar coupling member in theedge or edges of an adjacent unit and tom form the coupling members thatthey will reinforce and strengthen the edges of the unit as well asprovide a secure union between the meeting edges of adjacent units.

-A further object is to so form the coupling members that portionsthereof project along the edge of the unit in the form of angular strapsor loops which may be positioned in staggered relationto similar strapsor'loops in the edge of an adjacent unit and thus form a practicallycontinuous passage to receive a metal rod passed Figs 5 and 6 show across section on the lines 5-5 and 66 in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively; py- Fig. 7 shows a portion of a metal blank from which the joint membersare produced.

'Similar reference characters will be employed to designatecorresponding parts.

The building units l and 2, except as herein- .m after described,'areformed of pre-cast concrete or other suitable plastic material preparedand molded in the usual manner, and asindicated may have internal hollowspacers 3 and 4 which may be filled with a suitable insulating material.17, of mineral wool or similar material (not shown) Also there may beembedded in the pre-cast unit any usual form of reinforcing metal rods 5and metal wires 6 extending at right angles to and interlaced with therods 5, as shown in Fig. 1.

5O The edges of the unit are solid as indicated at 1 and 8, and themeeting faces make contact with each other as indicated at 8. p

The improved joint consists of two members 9 and I0, duplicates of eachother, and so placed 55 in the edges of the units that the forwardlypro-- 'jecting portions of the members alternate with I each other, thespace defined by the overlapping portions of the members forming arectangular continuous passage ll through which is passed a metal rod l2ofsuch diameter as to make .con- 5 tact with the inner walls i3 and itof the overlapping portions of such projections which as shown extendalong the longitudinal medial line of the edges. of the adjacent units iand-2. The members 9 and In of the coupling are formed 10 from a stripof suitable metal l5 preferably of sheet iron of sufficient stiffnessand strength. In the formation of the coupling members 9 and ill themetal strip I5 is cut at intervals as indicated at l6,'the said cutsextending transversely of the 15 strip, the cuts preferably, however,being inclined and converging at I! along the longitudinal I medial line18 of the strip l5. After cutting the strip I5, it is then bent alongthe line i8 so that the lateral edges extend at right angles to eachother, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, producing practically sideportions i9 and 20 (see Figs. 5 I and 6) The bending along thelongitudinal medial line it of the portions 2i will cause them toproject in one direction, while the bending of the portions 22 will bein the opposite direction.- 0

'Thus there will be formed forwardly extending loops or keepers 22 inthe plane of the side portions 19 and 20, while the portions 2| willextend rearwardly with the walls thereof at right angles to the innersurfaces of the wing members I9 and 20 forming braces therefor.

As indicated in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, when the forwardly projectingloops or keepers are alter-,-

nately arranged and intersect each other, there will be formed acontinuous channel .to receive, and confine the rod l2. By making thecuts l6, as hereinbefore described, both the inwardand outwardprojectingportions of the members 9 and II] will present inclined edges not onlyat the 40 top and bottom of each of the forwardly projecting loops orkeepers 22, but also along-the upper and lower edges of the rearwardbraces 2|, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4. By so forming theedges of the interlocking-loops or keepers, I provide for a limitedrange of relative adjustment insuring-that the joint. membersin theedges of adjacent units may be coupled even though they should not beaccurately positioned when affixed inthe edges by casting or molding theplastic material as hereinbefore set forth. The joint members 9 and IIIare secured in building units by casting the concrete or other materialabout them while they are held supported in a mold. When thus embeddedin the plastic material they produce not only reinforcements along theedges but because of the angular formation 01' the elements of each ofthe members, the resistance to longitudinal stress and strain passingthrough the joint is greatly enhanced. Preferably the longitudinal wires6 will be so incorporated that they will terminate at points adjacentthe edges of the joint members as-shown in Fig. 1.

It should be noted that the joint members 9 and I 0 also form acontinuous reinforcement of the meeting edges and a firm and accuratecoupling ot the edges of adjacent units.

It should be observed that in forming the unit the joint members aresupported adjacent and substantially parallel to that portion of themold which imparts to the unit the desired length, and that in sopositioning the members of the joint the projecting loops will bepositioned to extend beyond the face or edge of the unit a distancedependent upon the diameter of the coupling rod and to form incooperation with the projecting loops in the edge of an adjacent unit arectangu- ,lar passage to receive a rod of the required diameter which,as hereinbefore explained, makes contact with the inner faces of theprojecting loops in the alternately disposed and interlocking loops.

It is of course understood that the coupling members in the edges 01.the building unit will be so positioned that the projecting loops inadjacent units will assume a staggered relation to each other. This canbe accomplished by putting one of each pair of coupling members atopposite ends or edges of the same unit.

I claim:

1. A joint for pre-cast building units comprising a sheet metal memberangularly bent along a longitudinal central line with the marginalportions on each side of the line of bend disposed at an angle to eachother, a plurality of alined spaced sheet metal loops at the front ofsaid member, and a plurality of alined spaced angular braces at the backof said member, the loops and braces projecting in opposite directionsand said braces supporting the marginal portions of said member atopposite sides of the line of bend.

2. A joint for pre-cast building units as defined in claim 1, in whichthe tree edges of the sheet metal loops and angular braces are inclinedor beveled from their base to the longitudinal centers.

3. A joint for pre-cast plastic building units comprising a pair ofsheet metal joint members each bent along its longitudinal centrallineforming wings extending substantially at right angles to each other,said members at spaced intervals along said line of bend being cuttransversely thereto forming a plurality of alined spaced loops at thefront of said member, the intervening metal between said spaced loopsbent rearwardiy along said central line forming a plurality of alinedspaced angular braces at the back of said joint members.

4. A joint for pre-cast plastic building units as defined in claim 3, inwhich the alined spaced loops at the front 01 the opposing members arestaggered with relation to each other.

5. Pre-cast building units of concrete or other suitable material,having embedded in their edges an angularly bent joint member, aplurality of alined spaced angular sheet metal loops at the front ofsaid member and projecting irom the face of the edge of the unit, theloops in one member staggered with relation to the loops in an adjacentmember, each member also having at the back alined spaced angular sheetmetal braces extending transversely and supporting the marginal portionsof said member at opposite sides of the line of bend of said member, anda coupling rod passed through the projecting loops of the meeting endsof adjacent units.

HERMAN BUSSMANN.

